Should oatcakes be taken off the menu at next year’s Staffordshire Day?

For many, the oatcake is the county’s proudest culinary export and certainly the snack of choice throughout Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire.

The delicacy is such a part of daily life that it featured prominently at this year’s Staffordshire Day celebrations, which included The World’s Biggest Oatcake Morning.

Tourism group Enjoy Staffordshire, backed by local authorities including Staffordshire County Council, encouraged groups to host oatcake-themed events to raise funds for local charities.

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Oatcake fans were also urged to share their pictures of the savoury or sweet treats on social media too.

But now a county councillor has sneered that oatcakes 'don’t mean a great deal to people in the south of the county'.

Oatcakes are great...but what should they have in them?

Speaking at the county council’s annual meeting Susan Woodward, who represents Burntwood North for Labour and the Co-operative Party, said: “Staffordshire born and bred, I am as proud of Staffordshire as anyone could be but I have to say, this Staffordshire Day rather passed me by in comparison to the previous ones.

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“I wonder whether part of the problem for the south of the county was the theme was oatcakes. When people are coming up with marketing ploys they have to come up with what’s going to resonate with all residents of Staffordshire, rather than just part of Staffordshire.”

Are oatcakes too northern to unite Staffordshire?

Oatcake aficionados have been quick to hit back at the claim.

Glenn Fowler used to own arguably Staffordshire’s most famous oatcake shop, The Hole in the Wall.

The 66-year-old, of Abbey Hulton, said: “In Burntwood they are a bit behind the times as far as the oatcake is concerned.

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He said: “I feel the campaign was a successful one, it got a lot of hits and a lot of people were interested – and they are Staffordshire oatcakes.

“In terms of Staffordshire Day, it does have economic benefit because the likes of Drayton Manor did deals and did get people through the doors so it helps local tourism businesses in particular and secondary spend in the county. It also gives people pride in Staffordshire.

“You’re already talking about oatcakes in Staffordshire so the fact you, from the south of the county, are considering oatcakes, means the campaign has worked.”